Mark Ruffalo Signs On to Play Hulk in THE AVENGERS

Surprising no one that has kept up with the near Marvel snafu that was the nixing of Edward Norton, Deadline reports that Mark Ruffalo has signed on the dotted line to play Hulk in the upcoming mega-film The Avengers. Of course, nothing is official, but tomorrow is the day that many say we will see the full cast of The Avengers appear in a “surprise” reveal at San Diego Comic-Con. Yesterday, Joss Whedon confirmed that he will directThe Avengers during his panel with J.J. Abrams at the Con. The dominoes are all lined up for a huge event at Marvel’s big day in Hall H. For more on the story to this point, hit the jump.

Marvel had a falling out with Edward Norton just a few weeks before Comic-Con, and many felt that all was lost. Here was a top-notch actor that had a love for the character and could match the presence of any other actor sharing the screen with him. Considering Robert Downey Jr. is playing Iron Man, this is a key to whoever replaces Norton. Just a few days after the crushing news of Norton’s ousting from the role, we reported that Ruffalo was in “late-stage talks” to fill those mighty purple pants. Now it appears that everything has fallen into place and only a few hours separate us from knowing, once and for all, who the entire cast will be. The Avengers is set for release on May 4th, 2012. Stay tuned for more as we get it.

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